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Politics & Government

Sonoma Meeting to Hear Reports, Give Response to Animal Care and Control Measures

The County-led Animal Services Workgroup will give one of two public presentations at Boys & Girls Club on April 25

The Sonoma Valley will be the location of one of two community meetings on animal welfare in Sonoma County, according to a release from the Department of Health Services, Public Health Division.

It's a chance to hear updates about what's happening in animal services throughout Sonoma County, and for animal service providers to hear public input.

The meetings are at the request of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, which last summer asked the county’s Animal Care and Control office to work with cities and other interested organizations to develop recommendations to “deliver the highest quality, cost-effective animal care and control services for Sonoma County.”

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As a result of that directive, the Animal Services Workgroup was formed to develop a vision, framework and set of goals. Representatives from the County and each of the nine county cities joined in the workgroup, and they will present their recommendations aimed at realizing efficient, collaborative, cost-effective animal services throughout our community.

The first community meeting will be held next week, on Wednesday April 10, at the Guerneville Regional Library. Start time for that projected one-hour meeting is also 6:30 p.m.

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The Sonoma County meeting will be held on Thursday, April 25, at the Boys and Girls Club of Sonoma Valley at 100 W. Verano Ave., at 6:30 p.m. Pets Lifeline is a partner in the planned meeting. Sonoma’s representative on the ASW is Chief of Police Bret Sackett.

As well as a presentation, draft vision and proposed goals for working collaboratively to meet the needs of animals in Sonoma County, much of the hour-long meeting is expected to be devoted to hearing community feedback on the proposed goals.

The objectives of the Sonoma County Animal Services Workgroup, according to the attached PDF, are as follows:

  • Develop consensus on a common agenda, goals, and measureable outcomes for a high-performing animal care and control system for Sonoma County;
  • Review existing assets and infrastructure and identify opportunities for shared services, increased efficiencies, and improved outcomes;
  • Assess operational, legal, and financial impacts of various governance models and shared services; and
  • Develop recommendations for a governance model and shared services for Sonoma County that fosters collaboration across multiple agencies/organizations to deliver the highest quality, cost efficient animal care and control services.

Background materials are available as a PDF on the Sonoma County website and attached to this article.

In addition, community members who cannot attend the meeting are invited to complete an online survey at this website.

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